Mother (a personal story)

I was told during my teen years that I would have trouble having children - more than likely not be able to. Without going into the nitty grittys, my ovaries starting being uncooperative when I was around 10 years old. I have had problems with them ever since, but I do love them so. Apparently they aren't the most attractive ovaries around, but they did end up giving me my wonderful boys.

I grew into adulthood not really thinking about children, as I'd accepted I wouldn't have them. On top of that, I am not the most girly girl around and wasn't overly maternal, either...so, all was well in the land of me and not being a Mother unless I adopted (which was fine with me!).

I found the man of my dreams and he accepted that we would probably never be biological parents. Life continued...and continued...and continued.

And then in I started feeling very tired in the evenings and I had a little nausea waking up. I shoved it to one side, citing stress. The weeks continued, as did the tiredness and nausea. I changed my diet thinking my body wasn't happy with something I was giving it. I remember driving to work each morning with this little nausea sucking on a milk drink to make it go away.

And then the penny dropped one day and I decided to buy a pregnancy test...just to see....just in case.

I told Justin what I was going to check for, but he shrugged it off as years had gone by without children and surely it was 'just a virus'?

I went and checked with my little test and two lines popped out of the whiteness as I was staring at it in the bathroom. It was positive result - I checked and checked the pamphlet and it said positive.

To say I was dumbstruck is an understatement.

I opened the bathroom door and walked into the kitchen. Justin was washing the dishes. I told him the test had come back positive and I was pregnant.

He looked at me, stunned, and said 'how did that happen?'

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These are my first memories of being a parent. Because after I found out you I was pregnant I immediately looked after that little being with all of your might and will. I found out I was pregnant when I was 10 weeks along with Logan - and within a month of Logan being born, Retro Age Vintage Fabrics was also born. I am a Mother to both - without Logan, I wouldn't have my business. They are entwined - I truly believe that.

My own Mother is very dear to me and without her my life would be so much 'thinner'. She enriches it with her support and love - her giggles and stern rules - her love of a joke and watching sport in every spare minute. Her life has also been enriched by being Nanny to our two boys (Gabriel followed Logan four years later!) and to watching our business blossom and grow.

Tomorrow Retro Age leaves my comforting arms and moves to it's own space and will open for those who love vintage fabric. It has grown large enough to leave the parental eyes 24/7 and will live entirely separate to us - it is growing each and every day into a wonderful business we are immensly proud of.

I can't imagine my life without my sons. Sure, there are some days when I wish I was the spontaneous thing who could do anything and everything on a whim...but 364 days a year I am so very grateful for the blessing of bringing up two boys who are being taught to care for our world and the people in it.

And I am so very grateful I have such a wonderful Mum who is there for me each and every step of the way - no matter how young or old I am. One of my most wonderful memories is when she arrived in my hospital room the day I gave birth to Logan. She saw us together, one sitting and happily watching the twinkling city night lights and the other happily suckling at the breast. She beamed so very proudly.

Happy Mother's Day, Mum - and thank you to my lovely boys for my breakfast in bed and hand-picked goodies chosen from school. It beats a silly toaster or mass-made product any day...

A week past...

This is an ode to a growing beard that is now lost. Somehow a 'tired from moving fabric to new work room' Justin used bare clippers on his beard instead of his usual 'just trimming' length. He is now talking to his little stubble, begging it to grow faster and telling it off for being so grey.


What has made the beardless one ever so happy is finding a rogue jar of Marmite at the back of the cupboard. The Marmite factory was damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and there is now huge shortage...you can't buy the stuff anywhere. Not that I care - I am a Vegemite gal, but Kiwi Justin can't be happy without his Marmite. The jar is currently under guard by the Marmite security in our pantry - no one is allowed to touch it!
 

We've had lots of sunsets and evening drives. So very pretty!



And, as you would know by now, we're currently relocating the business into a new work + show room. That means packing all of our fabric for easier transportation. It's amazing what I have come across - two Lucienne Day cafe curtains, Verner Panton Mira-X etc. This is a little sampler, but the 50s design is just so today - I love it.
 
As we knew we were relocating this year I had already packaged at least half of the fabric into 50L containers. These are just two that have already been moved.
 
And the big part of the move is relocating all of the website 'live' stock in order! We're want to literally take it out of the shelves in line and get it into our new shelving in line. That way the disruption to the online part of our business should be reduced to around a week...if not less.

All but signed, sealed and delivered - the Retro Age Work + Showroom

There has been much going on in the land of Retro Age - and that of our own lives.

If you follow (or stalk quietly) our Facebook page you would know the past two weeks have been our worst yet for 2012- with further storm damage, an acute arthritis attack that put me on my back for five days and largely being offline due to electrical damage. On top of that there is more, more, more - what was use is it to live life looking at the negative, I say?

Let's look at the massive positive!

On a super high note we are all but moved into a wonderful extra large and extra bright space - it's a huge 105m2 and has large windows on two sides. I have four rooms and offices to place all of our fabrics out on display - finally! It's the new beginning for Retro Age Vintage Fabrics - a work room and a show room and a drool room and a 'welcome come and pat some fabric' place all rolled into one. It also means I can offer all of our stock for sale - yep - all of those pieces that are lurking behind the lines that our online customers never get to see. We have so many local customers - yay for dropping in to have a look at fabric, I say! There will also be some vintage beauty in general to see :) - lots more in the pipeline, there! The part of the space you can see in the photo is half of one room - yep, HALF of one room. Do you think I can fill it?

I am SO SO SO SO EXCITED, peeps! I can't wait to show you all of our fabric - I am bursting at the seams to finally bring it all out in daylight and put it out on display on bolts on shelving. I could sing and dance and yelp and cry and jump and raspberry and - oh! - did I say sing? There could be pop-up shops, showroom nights, Facebook offers galore and more room to move, put your fabrics in the lay-by section etc etc.

Did I tell you how excited I am?

I did, didn't I?

And did I say this is just the beginning to the new Retro Age? Oh yes siree - this is the first of several big steps...but, first step first and do it well, I say.

Yep, I am excited!